The present invention relates to an agent for removing solid particles from surfaces, its manufacture and use. The agent in particular is suitable for cleaning difficultly accessible and/or sensitive surfaces and for the fluff-free removal of solid particles.
Conventional chemical cleaning agents for hard surfaces are offered as liquid or foam-like (also in spray form), pasty or solid cleaners. So-called microemulsions are also applied for washing and cleaning processes. From these cleaners it is expected that they display an optimal application profile in the concentrated condition as well as in a diluted, aqueous or organic solution, in combination with mechanical energy and a mechanical cleaning means, for example a sponge or cloth.
The use of cleaning cloths or cleaning tissues in practise may not be effected without fluff. On the one hand fibers or fiber parts of the tissue or fabric of the cloth and tissue are released. On the other hand also dirt fibers which have been accommodated by the cleaning cloth or cleaning fabric are released since these do not adhere sufficiently. In pure space conditions this again and again leads to problems, and to little acceptance of these products.
The mentioned chemical and mechanical cleaning agents are very suitable for smooth, relatively insensitive surfaces. They are however not so suitable if difficultly accessible surfaces, such as car dashboards or keyboards of telephones, mobile telephones and computers are to be cleaned. The various liquid cleaners obtainable on the market although being able to be sprayed or deposited on these without any problem, their removal together with the dirt particles for example out of the intermediate spaces of a computer keyboard or a car dashboard must however be effected with mechanical means such as tissues, sponges or paper, a procedure which with the described difficultly accessible surfaces has been shown to be almost impossible. Furthermore there exists the danger that the liquid or foam cleaner or cleaning agent flows onto sensitive electronics parts and leads to damage. As a result of the drying of the solvent, residues of dust and cleaning agent form between the computer buttons or in the interstices of dashboards, which then are even more awkward to remove and in time attack the surfaces which were supposed to be cleaned.
Screens, for example of television apparatus and computers react very sensitively to mechanical cleaning. On account of the depositing and rubbing or wiping of the conventional cleaning agent in combination with the dust particles there often occurs fine scratches of the surfaces which compromises the picture quality. If the screens are cleaned in a “dry” manner, i.e. only mechanically with a cloth and without a liquid agent, the apparatus are often statically charged which may lead to very slight electric shocks which are however unpleasant.
A further disadvantage of the conventional chemical cleaning agents is their ecological compatibility. Although conforming to the regulations of laws throughout Europe with respect to washing and cleaning agents with regard to their biological degradability, the quantities of surfactants, acids and alkalines which get into the waste water system and must be broken down here is relatively large. With the mechanical means such as the above described cloths for screens or optical apparatus, it must further be mentioned that they may only be used once and then usually need to be disposed of. The same applies to adhesive rollers which are widely used as “fluff rollers”. After a short period of use the adhesive surfaces are completely covered with hair, fluff and other dirt particles. The cleaning effect is virtually lost and the surface section of the adhesive roller must be disposed of.